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Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2026 14:58:01 +0100
From: "Lillian Berry" <lillian@star-ark.net>
To: pgsql-performance@lists.postgresql.org
Cc: infra@pluralkit.me
Message-Id: <aaf503fd-c08c-465d-9d80-4a71abb722c1@app.fastmail.com>
Subject: Slow queries on simple index
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 <https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/aaf503fd-c08c-465d-9d80-4a71abb722c1%40app.fastmail.com>
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Logs on our PostgreSQL cluster show frequent slow reads on a simple query by unique index. 

This issue has been present for some years, and survived multiple server moves as well as PostgreSQL version upgrades.
Vacuuming or reindexing the table does not seem to help.

Jan 17 13:38:13 database-node1-bd9aa148 pzqzs8zyvqrq1rq25z4drws8dhnbxa59-run-postgres[172632]: pluralkit-db-dataLOG:  duration: 2322.842 ms  execute <unnamed>: SELECT * FROM "members" WHERE "hid" = $1
Jan 17 13:38:15 database-node1-bd9aa148 pzqzs8zyvqrq1rq25z4drws8dhnbxa59-run-postgres[157893]: pluralkit-db-dataLOG:  duration: 2155.033 ms  execute _auto8: SELECT * FROM "members" WHERE "hid" = $1
Jan 17 13:38:16 database-node1-bd9aa148 pzqzs8zyvqrq1rq25z4drws8dhnbxa59-run-postgres[157826]: pluralkit-db-dataLOG:  duration: 2164.851 ms  execute _auto10: SELECT * FROM "members" WHERE "hid" = $1
Jan 17 13:38:19 database-node1-bd9aa148 pzqzs8zyvqrq1rq25z4drws8dhnbxa59-run-postgres[171076]: pluralkit-db-dataLOG:  duration: 2039.040 ms  execute _auto3: SELECT * FROM "members" WHERE "hid" = $1
Jan 17 13:38:20 database-node1-bd9aa148 pzqzs8zyvqrq1rq25z4drws8dhnbxa59-run-postgres[162682]: pluralkit-db-dataLOG:  duration: 2189.700 ms  execute _auto8: SELECT * FROM "members" WHERE "hid" = $1
Jan 17 13:38:22 database-node1-bd9aa148 pzqzs8zyvqrq1rq25z4drws8dhnbxa59-run-postgres[159824]: pluralkit-db-dataLOG:  duration: 2137.666 ms  execute _auto10: SELECT * FROM "members" WHERE "hid" = $1

Parameter detail has been redacted for privacy.

This is not reproducible on manual queries, whether using the same values or other random ones.

pluralkit=# explain (analyze, buffers, settings) select * from members where hid = 'exampl';
                                                          QUERY PLAN
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Index Scan using members_hid_key on members  (cost=0.43..8.45 rows=1 width=838) (actual time=0.098..0.098 rows=0.00 loops=1)
   Index Cond: (hid = 'exampl'::bpchar)
   Index Searches: 1
   Buffers: shared hit=3
 Settings: effective_cache_size = '40GB'
 Planning Time: 0.161 ms
 Execution Time: 0.124 ms
(7 rows)

Table info:

pluralkit=# \d+ members
                                                                            Table "public.members"
         Column         |            Type             | Collation | Nullable |                 Default                  | Storage  | Compression | Stats target | Description
------------------------+-----------------------------+-----------+----------+------------------------------------------+----------+-------------+--------------+-------------
 id                     | integer                     |           | not null | nextval('members_id_seq'::regclass)      | plain    |             |              |
 hid                    | character(6)                |           | not null |                                          | extended |             |              |
 system                 | integer                     |           | not null | nextval('members_system_seq'::regclass)  | plain    |             |              |
 color                  | character(6)                |           |          |                                          | extended |             |              |
 avatar_url             | text                        |           |          |                                          | extended |             |              |
 name                   | text                        |           | not null |                                          | extended |             |              |
 birthday               | date                        |           |          |                                          | plain    |             |              |
 pronouns               | text                        |           |          |                                          | extended |             |              |
 description            | text                        |           |          |                                          | extended |             |              |
 created                | timestamp without time zone |           | not null | timezone('utc'::text, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP) | plain    |             |              |
 display_name           | text                        |           |          |                                          | extended |             |              |
 proxy_tags             | proxy_tag[]                 |           | not null | ARRAY[]::proxy_tag[]                     | extended |             |              |
 keep_proxy             | boolean                     |           | not null | false                                    | plain    |             |              |
 member_visibility      | integer                     |           | not null | 1                                        | plain    |             |              |
 message_count          | integer                     |           | not null | 0                                        | plain    |             |              |
 description_privacy    | integer                     |           | not null | 1                                        | plain    |             |              |
 name_privacy           | integer                     |           | not null | 1                                        | plain    |             |              |
 avatar_privacy         | integer                     |           | not null | 1                                        | plain    |             |              |
 birthday_privacy       | integer                     |           | not null | 1                                        | plain    |             |              |
 pronoun_privacy        | integer                     |           | not null | 1                                        | plain    |             |              |
 metadata_privacy       | integer                     |           | not null | 1                                        | plain    |             |              |
 allow_autoproxy        | boolean                     |           | not null | true                                     | plain    |             |              |
 banner_image           | text                        |           |          |                                          | extended |             |              |
 uuid                   | uuid                        |           |          | public.gen_random_uuid()                 | plain    |             |              |
 last_message_timestamp | timestamp without time zone |           |          |                                          | plain    |             |              |
 webhook_avatar_url     | text                        |           |          |                                          | extended |             |              |
 proxy_privacy          | integer                     |           | not null | 1                                        | plain    |             |              |
 tts                    | boolean                     |           | not null | false                                    | plain    |             |              |
 banner_privacy         | integer                     |           | not null | 1                                        | plain    |             |              |
Indexes:
    "members_pkey" PRIMARY KEY, btree (id)
    "members_by_system" btree (system)
    "members_hid_key" UNIQUE CONSTRAINT, btree (hid)
    "members_uuid_idx" btree (uuid)
Check constraints:
    "members_avatar_privacy_check" CHECK (avatar_privacy = ANY (ARRAY[1, 2]))
    "members_banner_privacy_check" CHECK (banner_privacy = ANY (ARRAY[1, 2]))
    "members_birthday_privacy_check" CHECK (birthday_privacy = ANY (ARRAY[1, 2]))
    "members_description_privacy_check" CHECK (description_privacy = ANY (ARRAY[1, 2]))
    "members_member_privacy_check" CHECK (member_visibility = ANY (ARRAY[1, 2]))
    "members_metadata_privacy_check" CHECK (metadata_privacy = ANY (ARRAY[1, 2]))
    "members_name_privacy_check" CHECK (name_privacy = ANY (ARRAY[1, 2]))
    "members_pronoun_privacy_check" CHECK (pronoun_privacy = ANY (ARRAY[1, 2]))
    "members_proxy_privacy_check" CHECK (proxy_privacy = ANY (ARRAY[1, 2]))
Foreign-key constraints:
    "members_system_fkey" FOREIGN KEY (system) REFERENCES systems(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
Referenced by:
    TABLE "autoproxy" CONSTRAINT "autoproxy_autoproxy_member_fkey" FOREIGN KEY (autoproxy_member) REFERENCES members(id) ON DELETE SET NULL
    TABLE "group_members" CONSTRAINT "group_members_member_id_fkey" FOREIGN KEY (member_id) REFERENCES members(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
    TABLE "member_guild" CONSTRAINT "member_guild_member_fkey" FOREIGN KEY (member) REFERENCES members(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
    TABLE "switch_members" CONSTRAINT "switch_members_member_fkey" FOREIGN KEY (member) REFERENCES members(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
Access method: heap

pluralkit=# SELECT relname, relpages, reltuples, relallvisible, relkind, relnatts, relhassubclass, reloptions, pg_table_size(oid) FROM pg_class WHERE relname='members';
-[ RECORD 1 ]--+--------------
relname        | members
relpages       | 816042
reltuples      | 1.3412575e+07
relallvisible  | 297904
relkind        | r
relnatts       | 29
relhassubclass | f
reloptions     |
pg_table_size  | 6687031296

postgresql.conf:

archive_command = '/nix/store/dz9vwg5grhvpz4v7rscdl95n7s5z8c3x-pluralkit-scripts-1/bin/pk-walg data 5432 pluralkit wal-push %p'
archive_mode = 'yes'
archive_timeout = 60
effective_cache_size = '40GB'
hba_file = '/nix/store/0pihm0qzk2pdn1d344p8kihpa58hd7s6-pg_hba.conf'
listen_addresses = 'localhost, 100.123.150.13, fdaa:9:e856:a7b:910f:0:a:102'
log_destination = 'stderr'
log_line_prefix = 'pluralkit-db-data'
log_min_duration_statement = 1000
max_connections = 2000
max_wal_size = '1GB'
min_wal_size = '80MB'
port = 5432
shared_buffers = '50GB'

Environment:

PostgreSQL 18.1 on x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, compiled by clang version 20.1.8, 64-bit
installed from nixpkgs
NixOS 25.11 on Linux 6.12.61 on AMD EPYC 7351P
2x Intel SSDPELKX020T7 in RAID1 (md-raid), with LUKS, ext4 filesystem

Same issue previously appeared on
PostgreSQL 14, both self-compiled and from nixpkgs
NixOS 24.10 on AMD Ryzen 7950X
ext4 filesystem directly on single Kioxia enterprise SSD (sorry I don't remember the model)

Kindly,
Lillian